Without You
by Ghostwriter
Summary: After a fatal car crash, Kelly has to learn to live without the only man who truly loved her.
1. Bad News

WITHOUT YOU

DISCLAIMER

Inspired by the video "Zack and Kelly--Slipped Away" by Littlemizzprincezz, who gave me permission to use the plot. SBTB belongs to NBC. Takes place in "Drinking and Driving" and then goes from there. Uses some lines from the video.

CHAPTER ONE: BAD NEWS

Zack Morris, Samuel "Screech" Powers, AC Slater, and Lisa Turtle sang jubilantly.

"Wild Thing, you make my heart sing. You make everything…groovy," they sang together. They laughed and continued their actions, and Zack took his eyes off the road. Suddenly, Lisa's eyes widened.

"ZACK, LOOK OUT!" she screamed. He turned around and tried to stop, but it was too late. The only thing heard was the sound of screeching tires and metal hitting wood. When Lisa woke up, she found herself in a hospital bed.

"Wh--where am I?" she murmured.

"Lisa honey, can you hear me?" a voice questioned.

"Mom?" Lisa asked.

"Oh, Lisa, honey. Thank goodness," Dr. Judy Turtle breathed in relief.

"Mom, what happened?" Lisa asked.

"You and your friends were in an accident," Dr. Roger Turtle answered. Lisa's eyes widened and she tried to sit up.

"Zack! Screech! Slater! Are they okay?" she queried, as she was pushed back down.

"Slater's fine. He'll probably never wrestle again, but he's alive," her mother answered.

"And Screech and Zack?" Lisa pressed.

"Honey…Screech didn't make it," her father said.

"What? No! Dorks don't die! They live forever! Screech can't be dead! He can't be!" Lisa screamed, fighting her parents as she attempted to get out of the bed.

"LISA! LISA, STOP!" Roger shouted, wrapping his daughter into a hug. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry," he murmured.

"Wh--what about Zack? Does he know?" Lisa questioned. "He's Screech's best friend. Does he know?" she continued. Judy and Roger looked at each other. "Mom?" she asked in a small voice. Meanwhile, Kelly Kapowski was in her room, when her father came in.

"Kelly, there's something I have to tell you," Frank Kapowski said.

"What is it, Daddy?" Kelly queried.

"Zack, Slater, Lisa, and Screech were in a car accident," Frank told her.

"What are they okay?" Kelly gasped.

"Lisa and Slater are," Frank answered.

"What about Screech and Zack?" Kelly prompted.

"Screech didn't make it," Frank stated.

"Oh, no," Kelly stated. "Wh--what about Zack?" she questioned. Frank hesitated. "Daddy, what about Zack?" Kelly prodded.

"I'm so sorry, honey," Frank said. Kelly fell onto the bed.

"Zack," she whispered. "No. He--he can't be--" she stammered. Her father sat next to her and took her hand in his.

"Kell, he's gone," he told her.

"No. Oh, no," she said. She began to cry and her father took her into his arms.


	2. Fresh Start

DISCLAIMER

Takes place of what would be the pilot of the college episode. Belongs to NBC and Littlemizzprincezz. I describe an actual picture I saw on a youtube video.

ONE YEAR LATER

The girl--no, **woman** now--walked up the steps of California University, carrying two suitcases. Her brown hair, which had once been voluminous and long, was now shoulder-length. She wore pale blue jeans, a pink shirt, and a blue-and-green jacket. Though she had some the past year, it was still a size too big for her.

"Kelly! Kelly!" a voice called. Kelly turned to see a man waving at her.

"Slater!" she cried happily. He jogged up to her and they hugged.

"You look good," he noted.

"You too," she responded.

"Can I give you a hand?" Slater offered.

"That'd be great," Kelly answered. He took a suitcase and walked down the hall. After his leg had been mangled in the car crash, it had taken a lot of physical therapy for Slater to even walk again. Unfortunately, his wrestling career was over, and he still walked with a slight limp. However, his grades were good enough that he had still been able to get into Cal U on scholarship.

"We're sharing a suite. I'm in room 113A, and you're in 113B with two girls named Leslie Burke and Alex Tabor," Slater told her.

"You know that already?" Kelly questioned.

"Yeah, I just met them. I walked into the wrong suite by mistake," Slater answered. Kelly laughed.

"That must've been embarrassing," she commented.

"Just a little," Slater admitted. Once they reached the dorm, Slater helped her put her stuff away. As they were doing so, two girls walked in. One was tall and blond, and the other was a little shorter with dark hair.

"Hi," the blonde said. Kelly turned around.

"Hi," she answered, looking at the girls. She gaze lingered on the blonde. _Wow. If Zack was here, he'd be in full flirt mode_, she thought to herself.

"Is something wrong?" the blonde asked.

"Uh, no," Kelly replied, shaking her head. "I'm Kelly. Kelly Kapowski," she told them.

"I'm Leslie Burke, and this is--" the blonde began to say.

"Alex Tabor," Kelly interrupted. "Slater was telling me about you," she told them.

"Oh, he's such a dear. Even after walking into the wrong suite, he **still** offered to help us unpack," Leslie stated.  
"Yeah, that's Slater for you," Kelly grinned.

"Uh, speaking of helping…" Slater hinted.

"Oh! Sorry, Slater," Kelly apologized, as the girls began helping him.

"Oh, by the way, that's a cool jacket," Alex commented. Kelly's throat muscles constricted.

"Th--thanks," she stammered. "It um--it belonged to an old friend," she told them. Slater looked at Kelly sympathetically. Sensing the awkwardness, Leslie cleared her throat. A few minutes later, they were all done.

"There it looks great," Slater announced.

"There's just one thing missing," Kelly commented.

"What?" Leslie, Slater, and Alex queried together. Kelly bent down and took out a framed photo of a high school senior and placed it on her nightstand.

"Zack," she stated with a small smile.

"Hey, he's cute," Alex noted. Leslie wrinkled her nose.

"Eh, he's okay," she said. Slater stared at the photo. Zack had his head tipped back in laughter at something someone had said and he had a hand in front of his mouth, trying not to show the smile.

"Hey, let's go check out the rest of the dorm," Alex suggested.

"Great idea," Leslie agreed.

"Kelly, you coming?" Alex asked.

"No, I want to get a feel for the place and unpack some more," Kelly answered.

"Okay," the girls ran off.

"Kell, you want me to stay?" Slater offered.

"No, I'll be okay," Kelly assured.

"You sure?" Slater checked.

"**Go**," Kelly insisted. Slater put a hand on her shoulder.

"Call if you need anything," he told her.

"I will," she assured him. He walked out. Kelly opened a box and began putting up more pictures. Suddenly, one of the photos caught her eye. It was a black and white photo of her and Zack on a friend's dirt bike. He had a surprised look on his face and she was touching up her lipstick. Kelly took the photo, sat down on the bed, held the picture in her arms, and cried.


	3. Settling In

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Tonee Alto: Glad you like it. I figured it was something she'd say. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC and Littlemizzprincezz.

The resident director, Mike Rogers, walked into the halls, checking the rooms, chatting with the new students. Presently, he heard someone crying. Concerned, he went to the sound. He entered the common area for suits 113A and B, where he heard the crying a bit louder.

"Hello?" he asked. There was a sniffle.

"Come in," he heard a voice say. He walked into the room.

"I…heard you crying. Is everything okay?" he questioned.

"Yeah, I'm all right," the woman nodded. "It's my first day and I'm a little overwhelmed," 0she continued.

"Oh. I see," he said. "My name is Mike Rogers. I'm your resident director," he told her. She wiped away her tears, put down the photograph, stood up, and walked up to him.

"I'm Kelly Kapowski," she introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you," Mike said.

"Nice to meet you," Kelly responded. "Thanks for checking up on me," she continued.

"Yeah, no problem. I'm right down the hall if you need me," Mike stated.

"I'll keep that in mind," Kelly promised. The man left and Kelly went back to the picture on the bed. "Well, Zack, here I am: in college. Can you believe it? Your Kelly's growing up." She chuckled. _Oh, I miss him_, she thought to herself. For a moment she wondered what it'd be like if he was here. For sure, he'd be flirting with Leslie. She was the type he'd fall for. And he'd also be scamming. It was what he had done best. Presently, Slater, Alex, and Leslie came back.

"Hey, you all right, Kell?" Slater questioned, noticing the slight change. Kelly nodded.

"I'm okay, Slater," she told him.

"You sure?' he checked. She nodded.

"Looks you're almost done packing," Alex noted.

"Yeah, I've been busy," Kelly commented. "Just have a few odds and ends left," she continued, as she resumed her unpacking.

"You mind if we help?" Leslie offered.

"Not at all. Just be careful with some of the stuff, okay?" Kelly responded.

"Relax. We won't break anything," Alex assured. They began to sift through the last remaining items.

"Hey, you have a lot of pictures of the same guy," Leslie noted.

"I know," Kelly said.

"How come you don't have newer ones? I mean, the last current ones make him look like he's a high school senior," Alex stated.

"Because I don't. Is there something wrong with that?" Kelly spat out.

"Easy, Kell," Slater warned.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get nasty," Kelly apologized.

"It's okay. We shouldn't have pried," Leslie answered.

"I'm, uh--I'm gonna go for a walk," Kelly told them. She then grabbed a tape, a pair of headphones, and a walkman, and then left. Once she was out of sight, she slipped the headphones on and pressed play.

"Don't leave with your love. Don't you leave me here all alone…" As the song played, Kelly smiled sadly as the subliminal messages she knew were there came into her mind.


	4. Reminiscing

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine (Chs 1-3): Yep. Totally. Yes, it is. Enjoy. Glad you think so. We'll see. No, that's too Dallas-esque. I'm glad you like it. Thanks, you too.

Foxee-chik: I take it you like it. I will. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC. Includes references to "Aloha Slater", "Model Students", "The Zack Tapes", and "Close Encounters Of The Nerd Kind".

As the weeks went by, Alex and Leslie noticed a pattern. Kelly would only listen to certain types of music--usually rock/pop type stuff--, she constantly listened to the same Bo Revere tape, she never went out any dates or to any parties, and she only hung out with Slater. Finally, the two girls had had enough.

"Is something wrong, guys?" Kelly questioned, as they cornered her.

"Yeah, with you. This attitude of yours isn't healthy. You never go out, you got dozens of guys always asking you out, and you always reject them, you're always listening to that stupid Bo Revere tape or your rock/pop stuff--" Alex began.

"How dare you?" Kelly interrupted. "You don't know anything about me. You don't know what I'm going through, or how I feel. You have no clue what it's like to wake up every morning and want to die because the only man who **ever** loved and made you feel like the luckiest woman in the world is dead, and there's no way you can have him back!" she shouted. Alex and Leslie's jaws dropped. They hadn't known that Kelly had lost someone. Hearing the commotion, Slater and Mike came running in.

"Hey, what's going on in here?" Slater wondered.

"Ask **them**. They apparently think it's a crime to grieve," Kelly snapped.

"What did you say to her?" Slater questioned.

"We just told her that it wasn't healthy for her to shy away from people. I mean, there's dozen of guys who would love--" Alex trailed off when Slater held up a hand.

"I don't wanna hear anymore. You have no idea what Kell's goin' through. You don't know how much she loved him," he interrupted.

"**Loves**," Kelly corrected, coming up beside him. "I'll never stop loving him, and I'm not through grieving," she told them. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to the student union and drown my sorrows in a root beer float," she continued.

"I can't believe you would be so heartless," Slater said. Then, "Kell, wait up!" He jogged up to her. "Do you mind if I join you?" he offered.

"Yeah, that'd be fine," she answered. Alex, Leslie, and Mike looked at each other.

"The way she's acting isn't healthy. We **have** to get her to move on," Leslie stated.

"Everyone grieves differently," Mike pointed out.

"Yeah, I know, but…" Leslie's voice trailed off. At the student union, Slater and Kelly each got a root beer float, and then sat down.

"How have you been managing?" Slater asked.

"Badly. I really miss him, Slater," Kelly admitted.

"I know. I miss him too," Slater agreed. Then, "Hey, you remember the time he tried get me to move to Hawaii?" Kelly laughed.

"Yeah. He made up a tropical disease--mumbo something or other--and then he did stuff to make it look like you were sick," she recalled. They laughed at the memory. "Or how 'bout the time he came up with the Girls of Bayside Calendar?" she added.

"Yeah…that was good," he grinned. Just then, a student came up, handing out fliers.

"'Buy three t-shirts and you could win a trip to Vegas'," she read. "What is this?" she questioned.

"Well, I need to raise some money for a new car, and I wanted to get it fast, so…" the boy's voice trailed off.

"So you thought you'd come up some bogus contest," Slater stated.

"Hey, I'll make a lot of money. What a cool scam, huh?" the boy asked. Slater and Kelly looked at each other, and then laughed.

"You call **this** a scam?" Slater asked.

"Please, it's a joke," Kelly added.

"Oh, really? And what would **you** do?" the boy hotly questioned.

"I don't know. But it wouldn't be something as lame as **this**," Kelly answered.

"It's a good scam. You should get in on it," the boy defended himself. Kelly and Slater laughed harder.

"This isn't a scam. Putting subliminal messages into a Bo Revere tape and brainwashing the girl you like into going to a dance with you…now **that**'**s** a scam," Kelly told him.

"Oh, hey! I remember that!" Slater recalled. They laughed again and the boy walked off in a huff.

"Man, I almost forgotten about that scam," Slater said, as his mirth died down.

"Yeah. He was such a great scammer, wasn't he?" Kelly queried.

"The best," Slater agreed. She sighed and looked at her drink, which she had barely touched.

"Maybe that's why I'm having such a hard time moving on. I mean, I--I never really got to say good-bye…even at the funeral, I--I don't know," Kelly said. "It's--hard, Slater. Everywhere I look--I see things that remind me of him--even **here**. I mean, take Leslie for example. If Zack was here, he'd be flirting with her like **that**," she continued with a snap of her fingers.

"Or that stupid so-called scam," Slater said.

"Oh, Zack would've **totally** come up with something better," Kelly commented. Her chin trembled.

"Oh, Kell," Slater said softly. He moved closer and took her into his arms.

"I miss him, Slater. I miss him so much. I just want him back. I just want Zack back," Kelly sobbed.

"Ssssssshhhhhhh, sssssssshhhhhhh. I know, I know. I miss him too," Slater told her.

"I want him back. I want him back," Kelly sobbed. As he held his friend, Slater's eyes revealed deep pain.


	5. Advise

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Windyfontaine: That's right. They do, they just went about it the wrong way. Enjoy. I will.

Spuffyshipper: Thanks. Welcome! I love your stuff. Keep up the great work. Cool. Already did.

Starwarssomeone: Thanks. I don't usually write 'em, but I had a plot bunny. Thanks, I will.

Foxee-chik: I will, thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Okay, here's the deal. I'm gonna finish my two stories, and then I'm going to work on the stories that are on my "Works in progress" disk and then on other stories. Saved By The Bell belongs to NBC, Brandon Tartikoff and Peter Engle. References "The Prom", "Breaking Up Is Hard To Undo", "Snow White And The Seven Dorks", "Close Encounters Of The Nerd Kind", "Isn't It Romantic?", and "King Of The Hill".

After several minutes, Slater and Kelly pulled apart.

"That feel better?" Slater asked.

"Yeah. Yeah, it did," Kelly nodded. She wiped away her tears. She laughed softly.

"What?" Slater wondered.

"Zack and Kelly's Prom," she told him.

"What brought that on?" he wondered.

"I don't know. I--I was just remembering," she answered. "He was always so sweet. I mean, making us our own prom, the "Welcome to the What We Should Have Said Theater" show, fixing the Snow White rap to tell me that he was still in love with me…stuff like that," Kelly recalled.

"Or how 'bout the time he got the whole school to pretend to be aliens so that that government guy wouldn't take Screech?" Slater added. Kelly laughed.

"Yeah, that was pretty good," she agreed. "Thanks for this, Slater. I just--I needed someone to talk to. Someone who knows--wouldn't pass judgment," she continued. Slater reached over and took her hand.

"Hey. I don't mind. I miss him just as much as you do. Screech too," he said.

"Oh, gosh. Do you remember the Valentine's that he wore that giant heart?" she reminded. They laughed.

"Oh, man. He looked so ridiculous," he stated. Kelly giggled as she finished her float.

"Thanks, Slater. You've made me feel better. I'm, uh--I'm actually feeling a little tired. I mean, with the classes, and everything--" she started to say.

"Go. Get some rest," he interrupted.

"All right. I'll see you tomorrow in Professor's Lasky's class," she told him.

"All right," he agreed. She stood up and then walked away. Slater blew out a breath and drummed his fingers on the counter. _Oh, Preppie, I miss ya_, he thought to himself. His mind flashed back to the first day they had met. _**Zack and Slater circled around the desk as Kelly looked up at them, wondering what was going on. **_ Slater scoffed. Then, he let out a small smile. He missed the guy. He had been his best friend. Meanwhile, Kelly had reached her room and had sat on her bed, clutching a photo of Zack.

"Oh, Zack. I miss you so badly. I just want you back," she murmured. Then, still clutching the photo, she turned on her side and closed her eyes.

_"Kell. Kell, wake up," a familiar voice said. Kelly moaned and rubbed her face._

_"Slater, I just fell asleep," she complained._

_"Sorry, Kell. I'm not Slater," a voice said. She rolled over._

_"Zack?" she asked in confusion. Then, she put the picture aside, jumped up, and gave him a hug._

_"Oh, Zack! I've missed you so much!" she told him. _

_"I hadn't noticed," he said with a small laugh._ _Kelly ignored the small jibe and ran her fingers through his hair._ _He let her indulge for a bit before taking her hands and holding them in his._

_"Look, Kell. We need to talk," he told her. _

_"Yeah, sure. We can talk about anything we want to, Zack," she agreed._ _He sat her down on the bed._

_"Kell, this attitude of yours isn't healthy," Zack stated. _

"_Wha--what do you mean?" Kelly questioned._

_"I get that you miss me and you're grieving…but you gotta move on, Kell," Zack said._

_"But Zack--" Kelly began to protest._

_"Hey, I'll always be with you, but I want you to be happy again. Find another guy," Zack interrupted._

_"But how will know if it's the right guy for me?" Kelly wondered._

_"I'll give ya a sign," Zack promised with a conspiratol wink and a grin. Then, he disappeared. _ Kelly woke up.

"A sign? What?" she asked in confusion.


	6. Sign Of Healing

DISCLAIMER

Belongs to NBC.

Two days later, Kelly walked into Professor Lasky's class, where Alex and Leslie met up with her.

"What do you guys want?" Kelly wondered. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone walking in, but didn't pay any attention.

"To apologize," Leslie answered. "You're right. We **don**'**t** know what you've been through. And we shouldn't have spoken to you like that," she continued.

"Thank you," Kelly said. "But you're right too. I **do** need to move on. It's been a year since Zack died and he would want me to be move on and be happy," she told them as Slater came in just in time to hear the tail end of the sentence.

" He would. Preppie really loved ya," he commented. The trio took their seats and Professor Lasky walked in. Professor Lasky went up to the front of the class and sat on the edge of his desk like he usually did. However, this time, he received a bit of a surprise.

"Here she comes now, singing, 'Mony, mony'!" Billy Idol blared out. As the man jumped up and started looking for the source of the noise, the class started to titter.

"I can't believe someone would have the nerve to pull such a juvenile prank," Leslie disapproved.

"Come on, it's funny," Alex disagreed.

"This reminds me of something Zack would've pulled Slater told them," Kelly's eyes widened.

"_But how will know if it's the right guy for me?" Kelly wondered._

_"I'll give ya a sign," Zack promised with a conspiratol wink and a grin. _

"A sign," Kelly softly said with a grin. "Hey, who did this?" she questioned. A guy in faded blue jeans, with a white shirt, black leather jacket, black boots and a diamond stud in his right ear turned around.

"That'd be me," he confirmed. _Hey, he's kind of cute_, she thought to herself.

"How'd you pull it off?" she wondered.

"Oh, it was simple. I snuck in here last night and rewired the audio from a couple of Lasky's visual aids and put a speaker in his podium," the boy answered.

"Well done," Kelly approved, clapping.

"You like that, huh?" the boy asked.

"It's a great prank," Kelly stated. "Tell me, if you wanted to buy a car and needed the money fast, what would you do?" she questioned.

"Well, I for sure wouldn't be like the bozo who was doin' that stupid Vegas contest. Rogers caught onto **that** like, the second he started doin' it," the boy answered. "If it had been me, I would've created a bunch of phony lottery tickets, set up a couple of places where people could buy the tickets and then deliver them, and then I would've rigged it so that **I**'**d** win," he continued.

"That'd be a really good scam," Kelly commented. "What's your name?" she questioned.

"Kent McQuaid. I transferred in a bit late," the boy said.

"Hi. I'm Kelly Kapowski," Kelly introduced herself. The two shook hands and continued to talk as Professor Lasky searched in vain for the source of the music.

THE END


End file.
